October 16, 2005
It has been a busy past week. There were visits to the Horizon Cancer Treatment Center of Bumrungrad Hosp. for lab tests and neupogen injections to bring up low neutrophils (immature white blood cells). There were lots of highs and lows for Mark this week.
The lows have included feeling awful at times and fighting nausea and thinking about the cost of the nausea pills which are $10 each one (cash out of pocket), but I am told that these pills cost much more in the states.
The highs include a party we threw at his friend John's place, for friends and some ex patriots especially some with Texas ties. I had brought a suitcase full of smoked brisket which John had professionally sliced. Mark's friend Jin and I made a mountain of cole slaw with a vinegrette dressing. John baked home made bread and made home frys. We served over 60 people...started out to be 35 or 40. Mark was so happy and profusely thanked me for the brisket and for making this possible. At first he wanted his cole slaw with mayo...and was bad mouthing the idea of vinegrette dressing but then all of a sudden he decided it was great. It is made with an old recipe from a restaurant in Calhoun County Illinois. It keeps for days but we did not have to worry about that as it was eaten before before the night passed.
Thanks to those 10 dollar nausea pills, Mark has been eating brisket every day. His other favorite right now is a thin hamburger patty cooked well done with some pickles and tomatoes. I brought the pickles from Austin since you really can not buy good pickles in Thailand . My back pack had a gallon of pickles in it. Two checked suitcases and two carry ons and none contained much in the way of clothes....mostly food and books.
Mark and I have had some serious talks as he is dealing with many important decisions about life and death and how to get what he needs from the medical profession which is not easy and could be termed "the impossible dream" . Most of us deal with that on a small scale. People with cancer are playing for higher stakes.
Each day becomes more important. Mark's world is so small in some ways right now: the cancer center and his balcony and the condo and a rare trip elsewhere. But it is big in other ways. He reads a lot and is curious about the world and tries to figure so many things out and shares with me those he has figured out. Some we are not quite so sure about like could we really fry an egg on the hot Bangkok sidewalk, but it is fun to think about such things. We are both more and more interested in the history and present day happenings in the countries around Thailand as well as Thailand itself. Mark is also interested in the happenings around him. From his balcony before dawn each day he watches the Hindus gathering accross the street and listens to their chants and music. Sometimes he thinks he recognizes an old late 60's or 70's tune in what is really some Indian music. He watched two storm fronts come together two days ago. He saw the lightening strike the Sheraton Hotel lightening rod and some other ones as well and yelled at me to come join him to see it. It was a fantastic show of nature. There was a beautiful rainbow after the storm. Mark seems so finely tuned in to so many nuances of nature but then again he always has been.
We are going to try to go this week to a village near the mountains. On the way we will stop at a large "farm" with a dairy herd and cowboys. I saw it on Thai TV. There are Thai cowboys there complete with outfit, hat, guns that they twirl just like on old cowboy movies and they rope the steers. Visitors can milk a cow and have lunch of T-bone steak. We will also stop at a Thai winnery. Sounds just like what tourists in Austin might do....go out to a ranch and a hill country winnery. One difference, we will be near a jungle full of orchids, mushrooms, and other wild things when we are in the village. Mark was resistent to going at first but now he is getting real excited about this excursion. This is going to be our big adventure this week if all goes well. Mark , his sister, and I send hugs to you. Miss Betty the mom